1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile food/drink serving apparatus for simple cooking, such as sushi, before customers and for service of food/drink.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a circulating food/drink serving system such as a kaiten sushi has widely been known. In a kaiten sushi restaurant, plates on which sushi is placed are put on a flat top conveyor, and are circulated before customers sitting at a counter. The customers can take favorite sushi together with a plate passing before them to eat. Nowadays, some restaurants serve various kinds of food/drink other than sushi by circulating them.
However, in such a conventional circulating food/drink serving system, for example of sushi, it is not preferable to circulate the sushi too long since the customers lose their appetite for they do not know when the sushi is made. In addition, there occurs a problem of a waste of material since the sushi circulating for a long time must be disposed. In order to keep moisture, temperature and freshness of the circulating sushi for a long time, however, adequate equipment must be provided. Additionally, the conveyor must be operated even when there is no customer, which wastefully consumes electric power.
On the other hand, for example, in a yum cha restaurant, a wagon or the like is used to serve food/drink to customers sitting at their table. This system using a wagon is to serve ready-made food according to the customers"" order. Therefore, the system is unsuitable for sushi etc. because the value of sushi is to eat as soon as it is made.
In order to solve these problems, the inventor devised an apparatus used to cook and serve food before customers according to their order by moving a kitchen table to a customer table without circulating food/drink as before. The objects of this invention are as follows.
Namely, the first object is to provide a mobile food/drink serving apparatus, by which the food is cooked and dished up near the customer table to be served, and which is useful for reducing the waste of food materials by serving fresh-prepared food according to the customers"" order, and for reducing a cost by consuming no unnecessary electric power when separated from the customer table.
The second object is, in addition to the first object described above, to provide a mobile food/drink serving apparatus with less time and labor when supplying electricity to electrical equipment.
The third object is, in addition to the first object or the second described above, to provide a mobile food/drink serving apparatus to arouse the customers"" interest and to assist the customers"" order of food/drink by supplying electricity to the electrical equipment.
The fourth object is, in addition to the first object, the second or the third described above, to provide a mobile food/drink serving apparatus suitable for food requiring cold storage.
To achieve the first object, the first invention in the present application provides a mobile food/drink serving apparatus comprising a main body (10) and mobility means (e.g. casters (15)) to make the main body mobile. The main body (10) comprises electrical equipment, an attaching connector electrically connectable to a power source connector equipped with a customer table (60) for supplying electricity to the electrical equipment, and a counter (e.g. a cooking counter (12)) for cooking.
Namely, the first invention provides a mobile food/drink serving apparatus for cooking food readily cooked on the counter before customers, and for serving it to the customer, in which electricity for the electrical equipment is supplied from the customer table.
Herein, the xe2x80x9celectrical equipmentxe2x80x9d includes lighting equipment (20), an electrically-driven tool or machine used for cooking, which can be mounted on the main body (10). For example, lighting equipment (20) installed in a decorative portion (17) provided on the main body (10) is a kind of the electrical equipment.
Moreover, the xe2x80x9cpower source connectorxe2x80x9d is a connector connectable to a power source, including, for example, a plug socket provided on the customer table (60). The xe2x80x9cattaching connectorxe2x80x9d is a connector connectable to the power source connector, including, for example, a plug that can be inserted into the plug socket.
In the first invention, all of the electrical equipment mounted on the main body (10) may not be power-supplied by connecting the attaching connector and the power source connector; for example, rechargeable refrigerating equipment may be mounted on the main body (10).
According to the first invention, the main body (10) is moved near to the customer table (60) by the mobility means, the electrical equipment is power-supplied from the customer table (60) to turn on the lighting equipment (20), and the food is cooked on the cooking counter (12), by which food can be served. When the apparatus is separated from the customer table (60), the attaching connector is disconnected from the power source connector, and then the main body (10) is moved.
According to the first invention, there can be provided a mobile food/drink serving apparatus, by which the food is cooked and dished up near the customer table to be served, and which is useful for reducing the waste of food materials by serving fresh-prepared food according to the customers"" order, and for reducing a cost by consuming no unnecessary electric power when separated from the customer table.
To achieve the above second object, the second invention is, in addition to the characteristic of the first invention, characterized in that the power source connector and the attaching connector are electrically connected by attaching the main body (10) to the customer table (60).
Therefore, the second invention in the present application is so formed that the connection between the power source connector and the attaching connector occurs at the same time of the attachment between the main body (10) and the customer table (60). Namely, by attaching the main body (10) to the customer table (60), the power source connector and the attaching connector are connected to each other and the electricity is supplied to the main body (10).
Concretely, the attaching connector (main body connector (41)) and the power source connector (customer table connector (42)) are installed at a portion at which the main body (10) can attach to the customer table (60).
According to the second invention, the main body 10 is so moved to attach the customer table 60, thereby the electrical equipment being supplied with electricity without inserting a plug.
According to the second invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, there can be provided a mobile food/drink serving apparatus with less time and labor of supplying the electricity to the electrical equipment.
To achieve the above third object, the third invention is, in addition to the characteristic of the first invention or the second, characterized in that the main body is at least equipped with lighting equipment as the electrical equipment.
The lighting equipment (20) includes a lamp or the like used for decoration in addition to the one for illuminating food materials to be served.
According to the third invention, when the main body (10) is attached to the customer table (60), that is, when service is provided to the customer, lighting is provided, and when the main body (10) is separated from the customer table (60), the lighting is turned off as a necessary consequence.
According to the third invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention or the second, there can be provided a mobile food/drink serving apparatus to arouse the customers"" interest and to assist the customers"" order of food/drink by supplying electricity to the electrical equipment.
To achieve the above fourth object, the fourth invention is, in addition to the characteristic of the first invention, the second or the third, characterized in that the main body (10) is at least equipped with a refrigerating case (30).
Herein, the xe2x80x9crefrigerating case 30xe2x80x9d may be any case that can keep food or the like at a fixed low temperature. The case may use ice or a cold reserving material, or may be refrigerating equipment such as a refrigerator as the electrical equipment. In this case as well, electricity may be provided from the power source connector (customer table connector (42)).
The fourth invention is suitable for serving food that is cooked by using food materials requiring cold storage, for example, serving of sushi.
According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, the second or the third, there can be provided a mobile food/drink serving apparatus suitable for food requiring cold storage.